Bodhi Day is the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that
Gautama Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...
(Shakyamuni) is said to have attained
enlightenment, also known as ''
bodhi
The English term enlightenment is the Western translation of various Buddhist terms, most notably bodhi and vimutti. The abstract noun ''bodhi'' (; Sanskrit: बोधि; Pali: ''bodhi''), means the knowledge or wisdom, or awakened intellec ...
'' in
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...
and
Pali
Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Theravāda'' Buddh ...
. According to tradition, Siddhartha had recently forsaken years of extreme ascetic practices and resolved to sit under a
peepal tree, also known as a Bodhi tree (''Ficus religiosa''), and simply meditate until he found the root of suffering, and how to liberate oneself from it.
[Life of Buddha](_blank)
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Shakyamuni's awakening
Traditions vary on what happened. Some say Siddhartha made a great vow to Nirvana and Earth to find the root of suffering, or die trying. In other traditions, while meditating he was harassed and tempted by the god Mara
Mara or MARA may refer to:
Animals
*Mara (mammal), a species of the cavy family
*Mara the Lioness, in the movie ''Born Free''
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Mara (''Doctor Who''), an evil being in two ''Doctor Who'' serials
*Mara, ...
(literally, "Destroyer" in Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...
), demon
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in Media (communication), media such as comics, video ...
of illusion. Other traditions simply state that he entered deeper and deeper states of meditation, confronting the nature of the self.
In the Pali Canon
The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from the Tamrashatiya school.
During ...
, there are several discourses said to be by Buddha himself, related to the story. In The Longer Discourse to Saccaka (MN 36), the Buddha describes his Enlightenment in three stages:
# During the first watch of the night, the Buddha discovered all of his past lives in the cycle of rebirth
Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...
, realizing that he had been born and reborn countless times before.
# During the second watch, the Buddha discovered the Law of Karma
Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively ...
, and the importance of living by the Eightfold Path.
# During the third watch, the Buddha discovered the Four Noble Truths
In Buddhism, the Four Noble Truths (Sanskrit: ; pi, cattāri ariyasaccāni; "The four Arya satyas") are "the truths of the Noble Ones", the truths or realities for the "spiritually worthy ones". , finally reaching Nirvana">Four Noble Truths: BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY Encycl ...
, finally reaching Nirvana.
In his words:
All traditions agree that in the third watch of the night, Siddhartha finally found the answers he sought and became Enlightened, and experienced Nirvana.
or "Awakened One".
The enlightenment of the Buddha is yearly celebrated in many Buddhist countries.
schools of China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Services and traditions vary amongst Buddhist sects, but all such services commemorate the Buddha's achievement of Nirvana, and what this means for
today.